Jiaji Village (夹际村), Yongchun County, Fujian Province

Overview

“Jiaji people who go overseas become dragons” (夹际人出海成龙)

Jiaji Village in Yongchun County, Fujian Province, is the ancestral home of the Zheng/Cheng/Chan family, with 560+ years of continuous history since 1458. Nestled in a mountain basin at the intersection of three counties, this traditional village of 3,000 residents (all surnamed Zheng) has produced nearly 20,000 overseas Chinese who have achieved remarkable success across Southeast Asia and beyond.

The village is descended from Song Dynasty historian Zheng Qiao (郑樵, “Jiaji Xiansheng”) and has produced notable figures including:

• Tang Yunyu (唐蕴玉) - Republican-era painter whose Shanghai house is preserved with commemorative plaque
• Zheng Shaojian (郑少坚) - “Uncle George,” leader in Philippine finance
• Zheng Cangman (郑仓满) - “Southeast Asian Flour King”
• Zheng Yushu (郑玉书) - Qing Dynasty scholar and Philippine overseas Chinese leader

For Jesse Chan, Jiaji Village served as a crucial wartime refuge during WWII when his uncle brought the family here from Hong Kong. Designated as one of Fujian Province’s Top 10 Traditional Ancient Villages, Jiaji preserves 60+ ancient residences, the imperial-style Bixi Academy, and centuries of family heritage.

Geographic Context

Location

• Province: Fujian (southeastern coastal China)
• Region: Unknown specific county/prefecture
• Setting: Rural village
• Coordinates: To be documented

Fujian Province Characteristics

Historical context:

• Southeastern China (opposite Taiwan across strait)
• Coastal province (maritime trade history)
• Min dialect spoken (distinct from Mandarin/Cantonese)
• Emigration source (many overseas Chinese from Fujian)
• Agricultural region (rice, tea, sugarcane)
• Mountainous terrain (provided refuge from Japanese)

Strategic Importance During WWII

Why refuge from Japanese:

• Interior location (not coastal, harder for Japanese to reach)
• Rural/remote (Japanese focused on cities and coasts)
• Mountainous (terrain difficult for Japanese military)
• Traditional village (less strategic value than cities)
• Family networks (ancestral ties provided shelter)

Chan Family Ancestral Roots

Generations in Yong Qin

How long Chan family there:

• Jesse’s father was from this village originally
• Jesse’s uncle still lived in village (1940s)
• Likely multiple generations before that
• Genealogy book Jesse wrote traced centuries of lineage
• Traditional Chinese ancestral village model (clan-based)

Leaving and Returning Pattern

Chan family migration:

1. Ancestral generations: Lived in Yong Qin for centuries
2. Jesse’s grandfather/father: Left for opportunities (Hong Kong, Philippines)
3. Jesse’s father: Born in village, moved to Philippines for business
4. Jesse: Born in Philippines (1929), never lived in village until 1942
5. Jesse’s uncle: Remained in ancestral village
6. WWII crisis (1942): Uncle brought family back to safety
7. Post-war: Jesse left permanently (Shanghai, Manila, Taiwan, LA)

Typical pattern for Chinese diaspora:

• Village roots maintained even across generations abroad
• Overseas Chinese retained connection to ancestral village
• Crisis prompted return to family stronghold
• Uncle as “keeper of ancestral land”

Jesse’s Wartime Refuge (1942-1945)

Arrival (1942)

How Jesse got there:

• Father died in Hong Kong (1942)
• Uncle came to get family (father’s brother)
• Uncle brought family to Yong Qin for safety
• Long journey from Hong Kong to Fujian interior
• Jesse was 14 years old

Why go there:

• Jesse’s father dead (family vulnerable)
• Hong Kong under brutal Japanese occupation
• Uncle offered safety in ancestral village
• Remote village safer than occupied Hong Kong
• Family obligation to care for brother’s widow and children

Village Life During War (1942-1945)

Jesse’s experience:

• Age 14-17 (formative adolescent years)
• First time living in father’s ancestral village
• Learning Min dialect (Fujian language)
• Already knew Cantonese, English, learned Mandarin
• Living with uncle and village extended family

Wartime conditions:

• Remote location kept them safer than cities
• But still Japanese air raids reached area
• Hiding in caves during air raids (Jesse remembers this)
• Food scarcity (wartime rationing)
• Limited education opportunities (schools disrupted)

What Jesse did:

• Helped uncle with farm work (likely)
• Learned village customs and traditions
• Studied Mandarin (educated himself)
• Survived Japanese air raids
• Connected with Chan family heritage

Cave Hiding During Air Raids

From Jesse’s account:

• Japanese bombers reached even remote Fujian
• Village had cave system for hiding
• Jesse and family hid in caves during raids
• Similar to Betty’s cave hiding in Philippines
• Both Jesse and Betty have cave survival stories

Duration in Village

Timeline:

• 1942: Arrived (age 14)
• 1942-1945: Lived in village during war
• 1945: Japanese surrender, liberation
• Post-1945: Jesse left for Shanghai (age 16-17)

Three years in ancestral village shaped Jesse’s:

• Understanding of Chan family roots
• Connection to Fujian culture
• Mandarin language skills
• Wartime resilience
• Appreciation for family networks

Post-War Connection

Genealogy Book Project

Jesse’s research: From interview, Jesse mentions he wrote a genealogy book:

• In Mandarin (educated self in language)
• Traced Chan family lineage from Yong Qin
• Documented ancestors and family tree
• Likely based on village records and oral history
• Date of writing unknown (1950s? 1960s? Later?)

Why significant:

• Jesse valued family history and heritage
• Took time to research and write comprehensive genealogy
• Used Mandarin (showing education level)
• Preserved Chan family story for descendants
• Connected diaspora family to ancestral roots

Questions:

• Does this genealogy book still exist?
• Where is it now?
• When exactly did Jesse write it?
• How many generations back does it trace?
• Are there copies for descendants?

Returning to Village?

Unclear if Jesse ever returned after 1945:

• Did he visit village after moving to Taiwan (1968)?
• Did he return during genealogy book research?
• Or was book based on memories from 1942-1945?
• Did Rose, Meg, Louis, Michelle ever visit?
• Have Nicholas, Ryan, Samantha visited ancestral village?

Fujian-Taiwan Connection

Geographic Proximity

Fujian and Taiwan face each other:

• Taiwan Strait separates them (narrow)
• Most Taiwanese descended from Fujian immigrants
• Min dialect spoken in Taiwan (from Fujian)
• Cultural continuity across strait

Jesse’s journey:

1. Born Philippines (parents from Fujian)
2. Wartime refuge in Fujian (1942-1945)
3. Lived in Taiwan (1968-1990, 22 years)
4. Full circle: Philippines → Fujian → Taiwan

Taiwanese Immigration History

Most Taiwanese have Fujian roots:

• Han Chinese immigration from Fujian (17th-19th centuries)
• Min dialect dominant in southern Taiwan
• Cultural practices from Fujian
• Chan family typical of this pattern

Jesse’s Taiwan move (1968) was cultural homecoming:

• Fujian ancestry
• Taiwan speaks Min dialect (Jesse knew from Yong Qin)
• Taiwanese culture familiar to someone from Fujian roots
• Not entirely foreign despite never living there before

Chinese Ancestral Village System

Traditional Structure

How ancestral villages work:

• Clan-based (everyone surnamed Chan in this village)
• Ancestral hall (temple for family worship)
• Genealogy records (centuries of family tree)
• Collective property (clan land holdings)
• Mutual obligation (family helps family)

Uncle’s role in 1942:

• As keeper of ancestral land, had obligation to help
• Jesse’s father was his brother (direct family tie)
• Village custom: take in displaced family members
• This is how system survived for centuries

Diaspora and Ancestral Ties

Overseas Chinese and villages:

• Remittances sent back to ancestral village
• Return visits to honor ancestors
• Burials in ancestral graveyard (if possible)
• Genealogy maintenance (recording births abroad)
• Crisis refuge (return when necessary, like 1942)

Jesse’s experience typical of Chinese diaspora:

• Born abroad (Philippines)
• Parents from ancestral village (Yong Qin)
• Returned during crisis (WWII)
• Eventually left permanently (Shanghai, Manila, Taiwan, LA)
• But maintained connection (genealogy book)

Language Connection

Min Dialect (Fujian Language)

Jesse’s language journey:

1. Born Philippines: Learned Tagalog, English
2. Hong Kong (1932-1942): Learned Cantonese
3. Yong Qin (1942-1945): Learned Min dialect
4. Shanghai (1945-1947): Learned Shanghainese
5. Self-taught: Mandarin (probably in Yong Qin/Shanghai)
6. Taiwan (1968-1990): Min dialect useful again
7. Total: 7 languages

Yong Qin’s role in language education:

• Min dialect learned in ancestral village
• Would prove useful in Taiwan later (Min widely spoken)
• Mandarin likely studied during village years (educated himself)
• Village years crucial to Jesse’s multilingual abilities

Chan Family Heritage Values

What Yong Qin Represents

For Jesse:

• Roots (where father came from)
• Safety (refuge during war)
• Family (uncle’s care and obligation)
• Heritage (centuries of Chan ancestors)
• Identity (Chinese cultural core)

For descendants:

• Rose, Meg, Louis, Michelle: Father’s ancestral village
• Nicholas, Ryan, Samantha: Great-grandfather’s birthplace
• Future generations: Origin point for Chan line

Genealogy Book as Bridge

Jesse’s genealogy book:

• Connects diaspora to roots (overseas family to Yong Qin)
• Preserves family history for descendants
• Records centuries of ancestors
• Written in Mandarin (accessible to educated descendants)
• Physical/intellectual artifact bridging generations

Modern Status (Unknown)

Current Condition

Questions about village today:

• Does Yong Qin still exist? (rural depopulation in China)
• Are there still Chan family members living there?
• Has village been absorbed into larger town/city?
• Is ancestral hall still standing?
• Are genealogy records preserved?
• Can descendants visit and find family records?

China’s Rural Transformation

Post-1949 changes:

• Communist revolution (1949) changed land ownership
• Cultural Revolution (1966-1976) attacked “old customs”
• Ancestral halls destroyed in many villages
• Genealogy records burned as “feudal”
• Economic reforms (1980s+) allowed some revival

Impact on Yong Qin:

• Unknown whether ancestral structures survived Cultural Revolution
• Rural-to-urban migration may have depopulated village
• Economic development may have transformed area
• But some ancestral villages have been restored/preserved

Connection to Family Story

Three Refuges During WWII

Yong Qin was one of three ancestral village refuges:

1. Yong Qin, Fujian (Jesse’s refuge)

   • Chan family ancestral village
   • Jesse ages 14-17 (1942-1945)
   • Uncle brought him there

2. Mother’s village, Bicol Region (Betty’s refuge)

   • Ines Chavez Uy’s ancestral village (Tuliw, Malinao, Albay)
   • Betty ages 5-10 (1940-1945)
   • Family fled Japanese invasion

3. Both Jesse and Betty fled to ancestral villages during WWII

   • Both survived through family networks
   • Both had uncles/family protecting them
   • Both learned about cultural roots during crisis

Migration Journey Waypoint

Yong Qin is Waypoint #3 in Jesse’s migration journey:

1. Philippines (birth)
2. Hong Kong (childhood)
3. Yong Qin, Fujian (wartime refuge, age 14-17)
4. Shanghai (liberation, age 16-18)
5. Manila (young adult, age 18-39)
6. Taiwan (middle age, age 39-61)
7. Pomona, CA (retirement, age 61+)

Three years in Yong Qin shaped:

• Language skills (Min dialect, Mandarin)
• Cultural identity (deep connection to Chinese roots)
• Survival skills (hiding in caves, wartime hardship)
• Family values (uncle’s care, genealogy preservation)

Research Priorities

High Priority

• Find Jesse’s genealogy book (does it exist? where?)
• Location of Yong Qin (specific county/coordinates in Fujian)
• Dates of Jesse’s stay (exact arrival/departure from village)
• Uncle’s name (father’s brother who brought Jesse)
• Village current status (still exists? inhabited?)

Medium Priority

• Ancestral hall status (preserved? destroyed?)
• Other family members in village during Jesse’s stay
• How Jesse traveled from Hong Kong to Fujian (1942 route)
• What Jesse did in village (work, school, daily life)
• Village population and size (1940s and now)

Descendant Connections

• Has Rose visited ancestral village?
• Have any Chan children/grandchildren visited?
• Do descendants want to visit and connect with roots?
• Can village be located and visited today?
• Are there distant Chan relatives still in village?

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Yong Qin Ancestral Village in Fujian Province represents the deep roots of the Chan family, serving as Jesse’s crucial wartime refuge and the source of his genealogy book documenting centuries of family history. This small village in southeastern China connects the entire Chan line - from ancient ancestors to Nicholas, Ryan, and Samantha - providing a geographic and cultural origin point for a family now scattered across the globe.